Secret
by CrystalAlchemist
Summary: This is a result of my recently acquired obsession with Doctor Who. One freezing winter night, Alexis Cane meets the Doctor, and discovers something she shouldn't have. Will she be able to tap into her own powers to help the Doctor, and possibly become his new companion? Tenth doctor. On hiatus.


"Isn't it five yet?" Louise asked, brushing her hair back as she dropped a stack of papers on my desk. She rolled her eyes and sat at the edge of the table. "Mr. Clerence isn't going easy on the overtime."

"Well, the company revealing its big experiment tonight, aren't they?" I said, turning away from my computer screen to look at my friend. "We need to make sure people come here to Kanesai for the reveal."

Louise sighed. "I can't believe I haven't been promoted yet. I've been working in publicity for years, isn't it about time I get to do something more important?"

"No kidding," I sighed, looking down at my phone. "I almost became Mr. Clerence's assistant last year, and I could have been connected to the head of the company, but no…"

"At least you're head of publicity," Louise said, straightening up with a wry smile. "I'd better get back to work, I'll see you later."

"You should go home," I said. "I can handle things here."

She turned and frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, go. Say hello to James for me."

"Ugh, my stupid boyfriend is probably still at work, I don't see the point." She grabbed her bag. "But I ought to go anyway, maybe he'll want to have dinner or something."

I smiled and turned my to my monitor, which I continued to work at for what felt like hours. At six-thirty my phone, sitting next to me on the desk, buzzed loudly and I jumped. The office was dark and empty, everyone having gone home by now.

"Mum?" I said, answering the phone. "What is it?"

"Sweetie, have you seen the news? There's been a blackout in half the city, the police are closing off the streets and are afraid people are going to start rioting—you've got to get over here and see—"

I sighed, tuning her out as I looked at my computer. "Mum, Mum—stop talking. I'm coming home soon, all right? Just hold on, put on a pot of tea."

"Well, hurry up, won't you?"

I sighed and hung up. I was about to close up my computer when I heard the soft sound indicating a new message. I opened up my mail and frowned when I saw a new email from someone I didn't know—named _stigmora3000_

What?

I opened the email—which had no subject—too curious not to.

Immediately a bunch of files sprung forth, which began opening onto my desktop. Blueprints, diagrams, strings of numbers and letters…the word _stigmora_, over and over again. At first I thought it was information about the project Kanesai was about to reveal, and it had all been sent to the wrong person, but…I frowned, taking in the information as it passed by in a blur. This wasn't…this was…

"Ms. Cane?"

I snapped my laptop shut, standing up. "Mr. Clerence," I said breathlessly, smiling politely. "Sorry—um—how are you, sir?"

"Well, thank you…working late, I see…"

"Um, yes," I stuttered, distracted as I usually was—as most people were—by his thick black hair and crisp black suit over broad shoulders. He was surprisingly young for someone who had climbed to the top of a company. Not only was he good-looking, but he was also very intelligent and sharp, and those select few actually working directly underneath him on the company's project felt very lucky to be doing so.

"Can I help you with something?" I asked him.

"No…" he said, turning slowly away. "Nothing, miss Alexis Cane. Have a good evening."

"Thank you, sir," I murmured as he strode away.

As soon as he was gone I gathered up my things and snatched up my bag, running to the elevator. I wanted to look at these files, but I would have to do so in private.

The night winter air was always freezing, and in anticipation of it I buttoned my coat the rest of the way up, shrugging my bag higher up on my shoulder. As I reached the doors I saw glittering flakes of snow gradually making their way down to earth and piling up into a thin white layer. And past the snow, against the wall of a building across the street was something I could have sworn hadn't been there before….

It was a tall, blue, wooden box—a telephone box, like one of those old ones the police would use. It looked old, like it had been there for years and years, but I had never seen it before. What was it doing there? I pushed open the doors, frowning and hoping to get a better look.

_Wham_.

Someone trying to get through the doors the opposite way ran into me, and as we collided we ended up switching places, facing each other within the doorway. "Oy, watch where you're going!" I said indignantly, looking up at him. He was very tall, wearing a long brown coat over a blue suit.

"Sorry, sorry!" he said quickly, sounding rushed. He looked around, frowning and breathing heavily as though he'd been running a lot, though he seemed unaffected by the cold. After looking around in confusion for several moments he looked back at me and said, "What year is this?"

I blinked, not sure I'd heard him correctly. "Um…what?"

"_Year_, what year is it?" he asked impatiently, as thought this was the most normal question in the world, leaning in slightly and staring at me. I found myself mesmerized by his brown eyes, which appeared normal on the surface but seemed to have something what went deeper, something ancient and dangerous and intelligent, frighteningly intelligent…

I blinked again and told him the year. "Ohhhh, no…" he said, looking away and exhaling, appearing frustrated. After another long moment he turned his gaze sharply back to me. "And, uh…where am I?"

I frowned slightly. "How much've you had to drink tonight, exactly?"

"Uh…" he blew air out of his cheeks. "A lot, I guess. My…car broke down, and I find myself a bit lost." He spoke as though he was thinking about a million other things even as he was talking to me. He looked up at the building we were both standing in front of. His brow furrowed and he looked back down at me. "Is this Kanesai Incorporated?"

"Well—yes—sorry, who _are_ you?"

"Excuse me," he said abruptly, grasping my shoulders and moving past me swiftly. He began down the street away from me. "Wait!" I called after him halfheartedly, but he'd already broke into a run and was too far away to hear. "What…?" I muttered, shaking my head. What a strange man.

The pain in my fingers reminded me of how damn _cold_ it was, and I wrapped my scarf around my neck, hurrying the opposite way down the street before I could freeze to death.

I came home to a warm cup of tea from my mother, but when I opened my computer up to look at the strange email I'd received, I found that all the files that an hour ago had been crowding my desktop were gone. As though all of the information had simply been deleted out of existence. No matter where I looked for them, they were gone.

Not only that, but when I came to work the next day, I looked for the blue box I'd seen the other day, but it, too, was gone, like it had never been there. Had it all been my imagination?


End file.
